I have had the most brilliant few days. I have been on some fantastic trips but on Friday evening I was informed that my photo of Swans at Sunset at Ellesmere had won the Ellesmere Visual Arts Festival Photography Competition and would be displayed over the whole bank holiday weekend as part of the festival.
I was so surprised and completely thrilled. I am now a Prize Winning Photographer! I have only just stopped grinning to myself, starting to get some very strange looks.
Anyway, I have got a bit out of sequence. On Wednesday I decided to go somewhere new again. I planned to start in Llandudno (finding the Cadwaladers there to tick off my list) then head to Bodnant Gardens where I have never been.
Llandudno was actually very quiet and it was lovely being able to walk along the prom, although being blown along was probably more accurate as it was very windy. Still managed to get a couple of shots.
This is the bandstand on the front and it is completely charming. It is quite wide and not very high, so when I tried to get the whole thing in, it didn't quite work, but I am now looking at details and so capturing just part of it works for me.
I like photos of random people doing ordinary things, but still feel awkward taking pictures of strangers. I feel it can be seen as an intrusion, but if you ask if you can take the picture, then you lose the naturalness. I try to take them from a distance so I can pretend I'm photographing something else entirely. Anyone else have this problem?
What nearly did spoil the day is that they have closed the Cadwaladers! Apparently it has been a couple of years, so I am a bit behind the times! Completely gutted!
So on with the adventure, to Bodnant Gardens. You have got to go if you haven't already! It is the most beautiful place you can imagine. Going in May, all the azaleas and rhododendrons are out and the colours are quite breathtaking.
There is a whole new area opened this year and you can walk for miles. The sun had come out and it was a complete joy to walk amongst the gardens and woodlands. I won't pretend to know anything about plants. Its a standing joke in my family that you don't give me anything to grow because it will be dead in a fortnight and the same goes for my husband and pruning! I love the idea of a beautiful garden, but if I'm honest, don't have the knowledge or inclination to do anything about it. So I just wandered around thinking "that's pretty" rather than knowing if it was a hybrid strain of the Blue Balkan Bears Breeches (real plant).
This last photo was taken in the Dell and is my favourite. Trying to think about leading lines and have focal points off centre. Strangely enough, I found it quite hard to take photos I was really pleased with as there is such a riot of colour and you are surrounded by flowers, shrubs and trees so it is difficult to pick out a proper focal point. Sometimes a photo just can't capture the impressiveness (is that a word?) of what you see.
This is the entrance way into the family crypt. It was called POEM when it was built and no one is completely sure why. One theory is that is stands for Place Of Eternal Memory, which is quite lovely. It's in the middle of woodland, surrounded by beautiful flowers and I can think of a lot worse places to end up!
A wonderful day is completed by stopping for Mango Sorbet at Cadwaladers in Betws-y-coed!
Lessons Learned: You don't have to be knowledgeable about things to be able to appreciate them.
It's been a good couple of years since I was last in Bodnant Gardens. As to photographing people. Here's a little trick. When you ar in Cadwalladers try and choose a windows seat. Shoot through the window. Use reflections. Have a look at Matt Hart. He is a really good street photographer and runs regular workshops at Cambrian Photography in Colwyn Bay.
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